Venezuelan foreign minister says US prohibited flight by President Maduro over Puerto Rico [View all]

[Judi Lynn]

Venezuelan foreign minister says US prohibited flight by President Maduro over Puerto Rico
Article by: ASSOCIATED PRESS , Associated Press
Updated: September 19, 2013 - 6:40 PM

CARACAS, Venezuela — Venezuelan Foreign Minister Elias Jaua says that the United States has prohibited a planned flight by President Nicolas Maduro from passing through U.S. airspace over Puerto Rico.

Jaua said Thursday that the flight had been scheduled to pass over the U.S. territory on Friday on its way to China. He characterized the U.S. action as an "aggression."

The U.S. Embassy in Caracas did not immediately respond to a request seeking comment on the foreign minister's statement. Maduro is leaving Friday for the trip to China, which runs through Tuesday.

Venezuela and the U.S. have had tense relations for a number of years and have been without ambassadors in each other's country since 2010.

http://www.startribune.com/politics/national/224494541.html

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